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Arcae
Arcae, or magic, is the strange energy that permeates the galaxy and allows those who can control it to cast powerful spells to do amazing things such as casting bolts of pure energy, summoning pillars of fire or healing mortal wounds. Anatomy of a Spell Any spell will be broken down into several parts. Below is an example of a spell: EXAMPLE HERE Name In this case, “Bolt”, this is the name of the spell, and what must be called out OOC when casting the spell. Unless stated otherwise the verbal is only OOC, IC no words are spoken. Level The level of spell, in this case “Level 1”. The level of a spell is very important as it dictates a couple of factors. A mage can learn and cast a spell when they reach the correct level of Pure Arcae control, for example a mage that has learned how to control and cast level 1 Pure Arcae spells cannot cast level 2 spells. The level of a spell also dictates how many Arcons, the amount of power available to a mage, it takes to cast the spell. Effect The effect of the spell, abbreviated. Often this is damage (Dmg), either Locational (Loc) and/or Vitality (Vit). Sometimes a spell effect cannot be abbreviated, in which case the description will be referred to. Description The full effect and description of the spell in question, as well as any pre-requisites needed to cast the spell. Casting a Spell More often than not, casting a spell is simply a case of declaring the name of the spell, and if needed declaring a target. Occasionally a spell will have extra requirements that must be met, such as having the correct material around for earth spells, or even a ritual. Such requirements will be listed in the description. Arcons – the Measure of Power All spells require Arcons to cast, which are represented by points. A mage has a certain number of Arcons to use each day and once they are gone, they are gone. There may be ways to regenerate Arcons quickly, but the only reliable form of regeneration comes from at least 6 hours of unbroken sleep, and even then the regeneration of Arcons can be unreliable at best. However, in an emergency mages can draw from their inner will and cast spells that way, however doing so is highly dangerous to the mage and tapping into this source of power too frequently runs the risk of death. If a mage has no Arcons left, they can take Vitality Damage equal to the level of spell they wish to cast in order to cast the spell. Developing Arcane Knowledge The Web of Arcae To a novice, the strange world of Arcae can be daunting one. To help guide a mage on their journey, they can refer to the Web of Arcae: IMAGE TO COME The Web of Arcae acts as a map, starting from the centre. Each ring represents a Level of Pure Arcae, starting at Level 0, and the three branches starting from Level 1 represent each core Aspect of Arcae; Atomic, Energy, and Kinetic. As the character explores the Web of Arcae, they will discover new components to construct spells with. From each Aspect of Arcae, Sub-Aspects of Arcae spread out. Often they will join with others to unlock more potential spells; for example the Heat and Transmutation Sub-Aspects of Energy Arcae and Atomic Arcae respectively can combine to give access to the Water Sub-Aspect, which in turn leads to the Ice Sub-Aspect. Each Sub-Aspect is listed on a certain Level of Pure Arcae. A mage must know that Level of Pure Arcae before being able to learn that Sub-Aspect. For instance Biomancy, a Sub-Aspect of Atomic Arcae, is listed on the Level 3 Pure Arcae ring, and so a mage must already know Level 3 of Pure Arcae before being able to study Biomancy. In order to discover spell components, a mage must know the Aspect or Sub-Aspect of Arcae of the components they wish to use. When a mage learns an Aspect or Sub-Aspect, they are granted the components from that Aspect or Sub-Aspect, and may construct one spell for free. After constructing this initial spell, all further spells created from the character's currently known Aspects or Sub-Aspects must be purchased with Skill Points. Constructing Spells Arcae manipulators must not only have an affinity for tapping into the energies of Pure Arcae, but must also have the knowledge and creativity to form and combine aspects of Arcae to create tangible spells. It is relatively simple to cast a bolt of pure Arcae, but it takes far more talent to control a fireball, or to call upon a blizzard. Spell Components All spells are created with components, small parts of a spell that combine to create a larger whole. Most spells use pure Arcae as the foundation of their forms, and so most spells will fit under these categories: Aura, Bolt, Illusion, Imbuement, Mass, Shield and Touch. Components all have an associated level, with Level 0 Pure Arcae components being the lowest level components available. The number and level of components in a spell determine its level. For Example: A character has created the spell "Pillar of Fire". This is a Level 4 spell consisting of a Level 3 Flame component, and a Level 1 Vortex component. Level 0 Components Level 0 Spells, often referred to as Cantrips, are very basic manipulations of Arcae. They are commonly used from everything from deception to entertainment and, whilst not very powerful themselves, provide a set of tools for a spell caster to implement. All characters with a Level of Pure Arcae also have access to Level 0 Pure Arcae and their components. A character may create Level 0 spells at no cost, however a Level 0 Spell can consist of no more than two Level 0 Components. Every other Level of Spell after that may include an additional Level 0 component, as follows: It should be noted that a spell does not require a Level 0 component in order to function, although it is one thing to create a ball of fire, it is entirely another to create a ball of fire that you can effectively hurl at your enemies! Naming Spells All spells require a name, both so that they can be referenced in character, and so that the players and monsters on adventure know what spells are being cast. A character can name a spell in whatever way they see fit, however the name of the spell must accurately describe the spell or it's components. The ref has final say over the suitability of a name. For Example: A character has created a Level 3 Spell that consists of a Level 1 Bolt component, a Level 1 Water component and a Level 1 Electric component. A suitable name for this spell may be along the lines of ''Bolt of Electrified Water, or Storm Bolt. ''The first name is a literal communication of the spell, and ''Storm Bolt ''reasonably describes the nature of the spell. Calling the spell something like ''Fizzle Bolt ''or ''Bolt of Pain ''does not adequately describe the essence of the spell. '' Arcae Aspects and Components Below is the current list of Arcae Aspects, Sub-Aspects and their Components. Pure Arcae Pure Arcae is the raw energy of magic itself. At it's very basic level, Arcae is somewhat formless and even unstable, its real potential comes to light when mixed with other, more focused forms of Arcae. '''Aura' Forming Arcae into an Aura provides a way for a mage to deliver a magical effect in a specific radius. This requires more concentration and power than simply unleashing the magic indiscriminately, but it allows far more control than a Mass ''incarnation of a spell. Aura spells target every character within Level x 1m of the source of the caster, so a Level 1 Aura component will target all characters within 1m of the caster, whilst a Level 5 Aura will target everyone within 5m of the caster. The Level 0 version of this component targets everyone within half a metre only. '''Bolt' Possibly one of the most common forms of spells, Bolt spells hurl magic at their targets with blistering speed and raw power. Bolt spells target an individual character (unless combined with an Aura or Mass component) at any range so long as the caster has line of sight to the target. Bolts also intrinsicly cause damage, at a rate of 1 Vitality per Level of Bolt. Level 0 Bolts cause no damage but can still be used to deliver spells. Illusion Illusion spells toy with the senses, and can be used to trick and deceive. Each Illusion component can target one sense, and multiple Illusion components can be combined to create more convincing illusions, such as touch and sight to create the illusion of a spider crawling up a characters arm. Higher levels of illusion components increase the amount of time the illusion lasts for, at rate of Level x 1 minute. Level 0 illusion components only last a few seconds. Imbuement Imbuement Spells act as temporary blessings or enchantments, and can add magical effects to items and living creatures alike. Imbuement spells target one touched object or creature unless added to a Bolt, Aura or Mass spell,and each imbuement spell lasts Level x 1 encounter before fading away. Level 0 imbuement spells only last for 5 minutes in an encounter. Mass Mass incarnations of spells are powerful but wild releases of magic that target a wide area indiscriminately. Mass spell target every character, including the caster, in an encounter. Every level of Mass allows the caster to specify one character that is immune to the effects of the spell. Level 0 Mass spells target everyone indiscriminately. Shield Shield spells offer potent protection against mundane and arcane dangers alike. They can protect against physical damage or certain effects depending on how the spell is crafted. Shield spells target the caster only, unless added to a Bolt, Aura or Mass spell, add Level x 1 AT to the target's current AT value, and blocks special effects such as Flame or Acid. Level 0 Shields do not add AT, but can stop special effects as normal. Touch Often considered the polar opposite to a Mass spell, Touch spells allow the caster to carefully apply a magical effect to a target for both offensive and defensive spells. Touch spells apply the spells effects only to the touched target. There are no levels above 0 for touch components.Category:Rules Category:Arcae